As part of good practise, I am expected as a SALT to take part in continued professional development (CPD). So the new year started off with a trip down to London, to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy (RCSLT). They were hosting a Centre of Excellence Network (CEN) study day in Selective Mutism. Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder resulting in a person being unable to talk in certain social situations, such as a school classroom.

The CEN focused on a case study for developing successful care pathways in Selective Mutism. This was followed by a fantastic talk in how to support selective mutism in teenagers & young adults. In the afternoon there was a focus on good practice and the role of the SALT.

A few key things that I took away from the study day were;

• The empowerment of Selective Mutism parent groups.
• New ideas for improving Selective Mutism care pathways.
• Sharing of great new resources.
• Presentation of high vs. low profile spectrum in teenagers.

The final part of the training day was all about sharing good practice (with a room of over 30 SALT’s). This is always an area of work that I love to do and this was no exception. I loved hearing about lots of similar ways and also slightly different ways that all of us work. I think everyone of us left the RCSLT knowing that we had learned, shared and ultimately grown in our skills base as SALT’s.

A great way to start 2019!